Russell Westbrook Says He Loves Being in 'Oklahoma City'
The Oklahoma City Thunder have triple-double machine and most valuable player (MVP) candidate Russell Westbrook under contract for two more seasons after this one, but there's still the fear of losing him to free agency when his current contract is up.
Kevin Durant has already broken the collective hearts of Thunder fans when he packed his bags and joined the Golden State Warriors last summer. Durant's departure has left the team's supporters with a bitter taste in their mouth and they don't want to see another one of their franchise cornerstones leave after the 2018–2019 season. Well, the Thunder could ease the fears by giving Westbrook a contract extension this offseason.
Westbrook is eligible to sign a max extension this year and the Thunder can give him as much as $220 million to lock him up for another five years, according to ESPN.
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The All-Star guard spoke with reporters on Wednesday at the team's exit interviews after they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets and he admitted that he still hasn't considered signing an extension with the team, but he said he loves to stay in Oklahoma City.
"That's something, like I said, I haven't thought about anything, obviously," Westbrook said, according to ESPN. "Everybody knows that I like Oklahoma City and I love being here and I love everybody here. But I haven't even thought about that. Obviously, Oklahoma City is a place that I want to be."
With Durant gone, Westbrook has become the team's undisputed leader and he's taking the leadership role in stride.
"I think you have to earn the right for people to say that you're a leader, regardless of how many numbers you put up, how many points ... whatever it is that you're doing. I think you have to show leadership," he said during the interview.
It's absolutely imperative to do everything conceivable to get Westbrook to commit long-term and the Thunder should secure an extension with him as soon as possible.
